1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for enhancing template manipulation and creation in a graphical user interface (GUI).
2. Background Information and Description of Related Art
Manufacturers, including IBM, have developed various types of GUI systems. These GUI systems reside in, for example, IBM's OS/2.sup..TM., Apple's Macintosh System.sup..TM., and Microsoft's Windows.sup..TM. for IBM compatible machines. A user typically controls these GUI systems using a pointing device, such as a mouse. In turn, the mouse controls a software pointer (e.g. mouse cursor) that appears on a display of the computer system. The mouse cursor is used to manipulate various elements on the display, such as objects and templates.
An object is a software component of the GUI and can be manipulated as a single unit to perform a task. The object contains collections of procedures and data and can be grouped into classes. All objects of the same class are identical in form and behavior, but have different data associated therewith. The object may appear as text, an icon, or both on the display. Examples of the properties exhibited by a document object are its name, icon, font, selected printer, the particular application with which it is associated, and its text contents.
A conventional template is a specific type of object that is used to create instances of an object class, such as, for example, a storage device object, a printer object, or a user group object. In conventional template creation, the user must first create an instance of the object, then perform multiple steps to transform the object instance into a template. Because these steps are typically listed in a menu, the steps are not obvious to the user. Moreover, the user must first know that it is even possible to change an object into a template before searching for the specific steps in the GUI. Therefore, conventional template creation places an undue cognitive burden on the user and makes the GUI difficult to learn and use.
Accordingly, there is a great need for an enhanced GUI which simplifies the creation and duplication of objects and templates.